# Vapi vs Retell AI: Pricing and Features

Source: https://insertchat.com/compare/vapi-vs-retell-ai

> Two developer voice platforms billed per minute: Vapi’s $0.05 hosting plus providers, Retell’s $0.07–$0.31 range.

Vapi suits developers who want to pick every provider and pay each at cost on top of $0.05 a minute. Retell AI suits teams that want per-second billing, built-in booking, and chat agents. InsertChat is the stronger third option for businesses that want a finished AI receptionist, from $98 per month.

Vapi details checked on October 13, 2026 from [Vapi’s public pricing page](https://vapi.ai/pricing); Retell AI details checked on October 13, 2026 from [Retell AI’s public pricing page](https://www.retellai.com/pricing). Prices are in USD as listed; vendors change plans, so confirm current terms with each linked source.

## Vapi vs Retell AI vs InsertChat at a glance

| Compared | Vapi | Retell AI | InsertChat |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Pricing model | Prepaid usage with no package, or a Success Package: Core at $29 per month, Pro at 10% of hosting fees with a $999 monthly minimum, Premier custom ([source](https://vapi.ai/pricing)) | Pay as you go from $0 with $10 in free credits; Enterprise pricing is custom ([source](https://www.retellai.com/pricing)) | Pro, Growth, Scale, and Enterprise plans with monthly AI credits included. Annual billing costs ten monthly payments, paid upfront. ([details](https://insertchat.com/pricing)) |
| What is metered | Minutes: $0.05 per minute Vapi hosting, plus transcriber, model, and voice at provider cost and carrier fees (Twilio inbound $0.008 per minute) ([source](https://vapi.ai/pricing)) | Call minutes, tracked to the second: $0.055 voice infrastructure plus model, voice, and $0.015 telephony per minute; chat agents per AI message ([source](https://www.retellai.com/pricing)) | AI credits from one monthly allowance. Use depends on the model, conversation length, knowledge processing, and tools; calls round up to whole minutes. ([details](https://insertchat.com/pricing#channel-costs)) |
| Channels | Voice agents over Vapi telephony and SIP, Twilio, Vonage, Telnyx, WebSockets, and WebRTC ([source](https://vapi.ai/pricing)) | Voice agents and chat agents, with SMS at $0.01 per message ([source](https://www.retellai.com/pricing)) | Website chat, phone, email, SMS, and WhatsApp in one shared inbox ([details](https://insertchat.com/product/inbox)) |
| Human handoff | A transfer call tool routes live calls to a phone number or SIP address, with warm transfer modes ([source](https://docs.vapi.ai/tools/transfer-call)) | Call transfer to a person; after a transfer, only the telephony fee continues ([source](https://www.retellai.com/pricing)) | Your own team takes over in the shared inbox with the full conversation, on every plan ([details](https://insertchat.com/product/inbox)) |
| Knowledge sources | Uploaded files such as .txt, .pdf, .docx, .csv, and .md, searched by a query tool ([source](https://docs.vapi.ai/knowledge-base)) | Knowledge bases at $0.005 per call minute; the first 10 are free, then $8 each per month ([source](https://www.retellai.com/pricing)) | Website URLs, documents, questions and answers, audio and video files, and product information (1,000 sources on Pro) ([details](https://insertchat.com/product/knowledge)) |
| Booking | Not verified | Lists a Book Appointments feature that checks availability and books ([source](https://www.retellai.com/pricing)) | Books into the built-in calendar, Google Calendar, Outlook, Calendly, or Cal.com, automatically or after your team’s approval ([details](https://insertchat.com/product/scheduling)) |
| Entry price | $0 to start with $5 in free credits; Vapi’s calculator estimates $82–$129 a month for 1,000 minutes ([source](https://vapi.ai/pricing)) | $0 to start with $10 in free credits; voice agents from $0.07 per minute ([source](https://www.retellai.com/pricing)) | Pro at $98/month, or $81.67/month billed annually, with 5,000 credits, 3 assistants, and 3 seats ([details](https://insertchat.com/pricing)) |
| Notable limits | Without a package: 4 concurrent calls and 1 Vapi number; extra lines cost $10 per month; HIPAA is a $2,000 monthly add-on ([source](https://vapi.ai/pricing)) | 20 concurrent calls included, then $8 per call per month; billing covers silence and hold time; Retell numbers cost $2 per month ([source](https://www.retellai.com/pricing)) | Additional phone numbers, SMS, WhatsApp, and other connected services can carry their own charges; analytics and reports start on Scale ([details](https://insertchat.com/pricing#channel-costs)) |

“Not verified” means our check did not confirm this detail. Ask the vendor before deciding.

## How Vapi and Retell AI compare

### 1,000 minutes a month

Vapi’s own calculator estimates $82 to $129 a month for 1,000 minutes, covering its $0.05 hosting fee plus transcription, model, and voice at provider cost. Retell lists $0.07 to $0.31 a minute, or $70 to $310 for 1,000 minutes, depending on the model and voice. Numbers add $2 a month each on Retell, and extra Vapi lines are $10. InsertChat Pro is $98 per month with 5,000 monthly AI credits and one phone number included.

[Estimate your InsertChat usage](https://insertchat.com/pricing#usage-estimate)

### Concurrency and add-ons

Without a Success Package, Vapi allows 4 concurrent calls and 1 Vapi number, and HIPAA is a $2,000 monthly add-on. Retell includes 20 concurrent calls, then charges $8 per call per month, and bills silence and hold time.

### Building vs configuring

Both are toolkits: you write prompts, wire tools, and test flows, or pay someone to. Vapi searches uploaded files through a query tool; Retell adds $0.005 per call minute for knowledge bases, with the first 10 free and $8 a month for each after that. InsertChat starts from your business: add website pages and documents, pick one of 10 voices, set handoff rules, and connect a calendar.

[What InsertChat learns from](https://insertchat.com/product/knowledge)

### Transfers and booking

Vapi’s transfer tool routes live calls to a number or SIP address, including warm transfers. Retell transfers to a person, charging only telephony after the handoff, and lists a Book Appointments feature. InsertChat books into the built-in calendar, Google Calendar, Outlook, Calendly, or Cal.com and hands conversations to your team in a shared inbox; it does not transfer live calls.

[Appointment booking in InsertChat](https://insertchat.com/product/scheduling)

### Channels

Vapi’s pricing page lists voice agents over its telephony and SIP, Twilio, Vonage, Telnyx, WebSockets, and WebRTC. Retell adds chat agents billed per AI message and SMS at $0.01 a message. InsertChat answers calls, website chat, email, SMS, and WhatsApp from one setup.

[How the shared inbox works](https://insertchat.com/product/inbox)

## Vapi, Retell AI, or InsertChat?

### Choose Vapi if

- Your developers want to choose the transcriber, model, and voice per agent and pay each provider at cost.
- You need warm transfers to a phone number or SIP address.
- You’re building voice AI into your own product.

### Choose Retell AI if

- You want billing to the second, with a published per-minute range for voice agents.
- You want chat agents and SMS from the same platform.
- You run outbound campaigns and want batch calling or branded caller ID add-ons.

### Choose InsertChat if

- You want an AI receptionist working today without a developer.
- You want one monthly price: Pro is $98 per month with a phone number, 3 assistants, and 3 seats.
- You want every call in a shared inbox your team works from, next to chat, email, SMS, and WhatsApp.

## Compare each one with InsertChat

- [InsertChat vs Vapi](https://insertchat.com/alternatives/vapi): Developer voice AI platform: $0.05 per minute for hosting, plus models and carrier fees at provider cost.
- [InsertChat vs Retell AI](https://insertchat.com/alternatives/retell-ai): Pay-as-you-go voice and chat agent platform, from $0.07 to $0.31 per minute depending on the model and voice.
- [InsertChat pricing](https://insertchat.com/pricing): Pro, Growth, Scale, and Enterprise plans with monthly AI credits, from $98 per month, plus a usage estimator for your own call and chat volume.

## Is Vapi cheaper than Retell AI?

At 1,000 minutes, Vapi’s calculator estimates $82 to $129 a month, and Retell’s listed $0.07 to $0.31 a minute works out to $70 to $310. The model and voice you choose decide where you land on both. InsertChat Pro is $98 per month with 5,000 monthly AI credits for calls and messages.

## Do I need a developer for Vapi or Retell AI?

Both are built for teams that write prompts, connect tools, and test agents, and both offer APIs. InsertChat is set up in the app: add your website and documents, choose a voice and greeting, connect a calendar, and place a test call. Growth and above add API access.

## Can either platform answer website chat?

Retell offers chat agents billed per AI message. Vapi’s pricing page lists voice agents over phone and web connections. InsertChat answers website chat, email, SMS, and WhatsApp with the same assistant as calls.

## Other head-to-head comparisons

- [Smith.ai vs Ruby](https://insertchat.com/compare/smith-ai-vs-ruby): Smith.ai’s per-call AI receptionist with human backup, against Ruby’s human receptionists billed by the minute.
- [Posh vs Ruby](https://insertchat.com/compare/posh-vs-ruby): Two human receptionist services billed by the minute: Posh from $65 a month, Ruby from $250 for 50 minutes.
- [Abby Connect vs Ruby](https://insertchat.com/compare/abby-connect-vs-ruby): Receptionists plus an AI option priced in Abby Minutes, against Ruby’s human receptionists and chat agents.
- [Ruby vs PATLive](https://insertchat.com/compare/ruby-vs-patlive): Two human answering services billed by the minute: Ruby from $250 for 50, PATLive from $49 pay-as-you-go.
- [Goodcall vs Rosie](https://insertchat.com/compare/goodcall-vs-rosie): Goodcall prices per unique caller with unmetered minutes; Rosie sells minute bundles from $49 for 250.
- [Rosie vs Smith.ai](https://insertchat.com/compare/rosie-vs-smith-ai): Rosie’s minute bundles from $49 against Smith.ai’s per-call AI receptionist with a free plan and human backup.
- [Dialpad vs RingCentral](https://insertchat.com/compare/dialpad-vs-ringcentral): AI receptionists inside two phone platforms: Dialpad’s credit-based AI Agents and RingCentral’s per-minute add-on.
- [Nextiva vs RingCentral](https://insertchat.com/compare/nextiva-vs-ringcentral): Nextiva’s XBert at $99 for 100 resolutions against RingCentral’s AI Receptionist at $39–$49 with 100 minutes.
- [Quo Sona vs Dialpad](https://insertchat.com/compare/quo-sona-vs-dialpad): Quo’s Sona, billed per call with 10 a month included, against Dialpad’s credit-based AI receptionist.
- [Bland AI vs Vapi](https://insertchat.com/compare/bland-ai-vs-vapi): Bland’s all-in per-minute talk time against Vapi’s $0.05 hosting fee plus providers at cost.
- [Retell AI vs Bland AI](https://insertchat.com/compare/retell-ai-vs-bland-ai): Retell’s per-second voice agents with chat and SMS, against Bland’s all-in talk time with Enterprise scheduling.
- [Voiceflow vs Botpress](https://insertchat.com/compare/voiceflow-vs-botpress): Two agent-building platforms: Voiceflow’s usage credits with business pricing on request, and Botpress’s conversation plans.
- [Chatbase vs CustomGPT.ai](https://insertchat.com/compare/chatbase-vs-customgpt): Chatbase’s message-credit plans from free, against CustomGPT.ai’s query-capped agents from $99.
- [Tidio vs Intercom](https://insertchat.com/compare/tidio-vs-intercom-fin): Tidio’s conversation-based plans with Lyro AI, against Intercom’s per-seat plans plus $0.99 per Fin outcome.
- [Intercom vs Zendesk](https://insertchat.com/compare/intercom-fin-vs-zendesk): Intercom’s seats plus $0.99 per Fin outcome, against Zendesk’s per-agent suites with included automated resolutions.
- [Crisp vs Tidio](https://insertchat.com/compare/crisp-vs-tidio): Crisp’s per-workspace plans with AI credits, against Tidio’s plans metered by human and Lyro AI conversations.
- [LiveChat vs Tidio](https://insertchat.com/compare/livechat-vs-tidio): LiveChat’s per-user Text plans with counted AI resolutions, against Tidio’s plans with a free tier and Lyro AI.
- [Zendesk vs Freshchat](https://insertchat.com/compare/zendesk-vs-freshchat): Zendesk’s per-agent suites with paid automated resolutions, against Freshchat’s per-agent plans with Freddy AI session packs.
- [Gorgias vs Zendesk](https://insertchat.com/compare/gorgias-vs-zendesk): Gorgias prices tickets and AI interactions for online stores; Zendesk prices agents and automated resolutions.